"Holy Spirit, inspire me. Love of God, consume me, on the true path, lead me. Mary, my Mother, look upon me, with Jesus, bless me. From all evil, from all illusion, from all danger, preserve me."

"Always remember to love your neighbor; always prefer the person who tries your patience, who tests your virtue, because with them you can always gain merit."

"The proud person is like a grain of wheat thrown into water: it swells, it gets big. Expose that grain to the fire: it dries up, it burns. The humble soul is like a grain of wheat thrown into the earth: it descends, it hides itself, it disappears, it dies; but to revive in heaven."

"It is sweet to think of Jesus; but it is sweeter to do His will."
~ Saint Mariam Baouardy (Mary of Jesus Crucified) ~

We are recovering from fair week and trying to rest a bit. Our wonderful church family took care of dinner after church, so we would not have that responsibility, and it was such a blessing to us. Our schedule is mostly back to normal this week, though we are taking more down time than normal.

Since our fair week is so much busier now than when we first started doing things at the fair here, we have moved our fair food night to the Monday after fair. This makes it much more relaxed, too. The Utah scones I mention on the menu are not scones, they are fry bread type doughnuts, and have their roots in Navajo fry bread and sopapillas. They are good, though. Because of fair week busy-ness, I missed getting corn from the place in town where we like to buy it, and thought we'd have to do without for fair food night, but God provided through a family we know through the Orthodox mission here. I received a text from them this afternoon, asking if we would like some of their home grown corn and tomatoes. It was a lot of corn, too, not the couple dozen we would have bought. We are eating the tomatoes fresh, and will be making salsa with a lot of them, too. Even in the things we just like, God takes care of us.

That reminds me that the kids talked me into entering the Salsa showdown at the fair, and I won grand champion! I will share my recipe (both the toned down version I made at the fair, and how I really make it for us) this week when I post the recipe for the buttermilk syrup.

Bible study and knit night are back on the schedule, and the last official week of the Around the World Stitch Along are wrapping up, too. There is still time to join in with a small project on Instagram or Ravelry, or just check in for chatter and eyeing the projects people have made. Mariam's birthday and one of her name saint days is this week (it is handy to have a Marian name when it comes to saints' days) and we are excited for her. We get to hang out with friends and have a bonfire, and I am making a special cake for her.

Coming back to add this: One thing, too, about how I look for God's provision is how I can recognize Him in the small things. I was telling Rich that we were going to be out of ground beef from our steer and a quarter purchase of two years ago once I made Tuesday's dinner. He said that's why we buy it, to use it. I agreed, but also didn't like how it felt like we wouldn't be able to replace it at a reasonable price, because the cheapest (and I mean cheap, not just inexpensive) I was finding it was $5 a pound. Well, when I went grocery shopping for our two weeks, I found grass fed ground beef marked down to $2.99 a pound. There were six packages left, so I grabbed them. God provides for us in every thing, even things like this. He cares for larger families in a special way, too, I think. Glory to God!

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Bernard
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Church Family Dinner - Calico Beans, Mixed Bean Chili, Cornbread Muffins, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Cheese, Garlic Bread, Homemade Pizza, Beef Stroganoff with Noodles and Cheese
• Monday - Fair Food Night
  Breakfast: Fried Halloum, Sliced Tomatoes, Sourdough Rolls, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Corn Dogs, Potato Wedges, Buttered Corn on the Cob, Onion Rings, Utah Scones with Buttermilk Syrup*
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Tray Kofta with Potatoes and Tomatoes, Sah'awiq, Cucumber Salad, Fruit/Dessert brought by Bible Study Members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Chopped Apples, Brown Sugar and Coconut Cream, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Clam Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Olive Oil, Rosemary Ciabatta, Tomato Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Strawberries, Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Creamy Chicken and Green Chile Soup, Fried Tortilla Strips, Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Cuban Style Black Beans and Rice, Cabbage Salad with Cumin Lime Dressing, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Mariam Baouardy
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup*, Bacon, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Grilled Naan Pizzas, Tomato Salad, Chocolate Raspberry Torte

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Fasting as a Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen